When I sat down with my Dad during a weekend visit to Moses Lake to scribe some of his memories, he wanted me to point out that what he told me might not be exactly as they were. The funny thing about memories is that they tell more about the person sharing them than they might about the actual event. It is with this intent that I commit a bit of Noland oral history to paper.
I asked my Dad about his brothers and sisters --- what was a strong memory that came to mind about each of them? He began with Kay. He remembers being about 6 years old, when the family was living in Missouri, one hot afternoon looking for help in cutting open a watermelon. He approached his older brother Kay who was busy working on a car with someone else. He asked Kay for help, and Kay raised the watermelon over his head and smashed it to the ground where it broke in pieces. Dad said it made an impression on him how quickly Kay got the job done! Kay had a nickname for all the siblings and my Dad’s nickname was Deanie Weenie.
Jay was called Preach because he was always making a point. My Dad thought he was pretty cool because he was a horse soldier – he served in the Calvary. He also spent a lot of time on the road driving trucks.
Anna, who was called Little Mama, was always busy with children, and she had a daughter Clydine who was born a month after my Dad. At one month, my Dad was already an uncle!
Speed, whose real name was William, was given this nickname to point out how plodding he was as a youngster. My Dad described him as deliberative, a quality that must have suited him well when he went to law school at Montana State University. He ran paper carriers to finance his school and later joined the Army Air Corps.
Vincel, or Vinnie, lived in Highland Park, California with her husband Fred when my Dad stayed with them. Vincel worked in a law office, and my Dad said she made the best corn bread. In fact, she was a great cook and used her artistic skill to improvise and create new dishes.
Billie, sometimes called BJ, was a real looker. She met her first husband, a handsome captain in the Army, when the family was living in Missoula. Billie’s homemade creations were also well known. My Dad met my Mom when he was living in bungalow apartments in Highland Park, California owned by Aunt Billie and her husband.
Deaver was called Hossie because he was riding horses before he could walk. He owned horses his whole life and was a great outdoorsman. I remember as a child the long weekend drives from Moses Lake to Rosalia to visit Uncle Deaver, Aunt Pat, Danny, Ona, Deanna, Joe, and Ruby. My brothers and I played with our cousins while the adults spent time together. The special pleasure of riding horses is what I remember from our visits. Seeing my Dad and Uncle Deaver riding confidently on horseback filled me with awe as a child.
My own memories of my Dad include his special ability to communicate with animals of all sizes and persuasions. My Mom told me that when she met him he had a monkey that would pee on people he didn’t like. Imagine that! I remember taking nature walks with my brothers and Dad – he seemed to know all the names of the trees, bushes, and flowers. I remember him being happy in nature but also happy in the company of people, talking. Perhaps his natural affinity with animals helped in navigating relationships with humans, a trait that he passed along to his granddaughter, Grace.
What he remembers of his parents is that his Dad, Clarence, was a dreamer – he never saw a hill he did not want to climb while his mother, Ona Alena, kept everyone’s feet on the ground.
What I remember hearing as a child is the story of how my paternal grandparents passed away. I heard that they always prayed that when they went, they would go together. As it happened, a fire on the farm in Idaho spread close to the chicken coup, igniting a nearby shed containing dynamite for blasting tree stumps. My Dad was in Chicago at the time of the tragedy. What struck me was my grandparents’ devotion, and how their prayers were answered.
We are part of a wonderful family – I hope to read more of our stories!
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